Almost Human
by Tekko
Summary: Roxas finds a man passed out and nude in the middle of winter. How do you help someone who doesn't want it? yaoi, angels, language, eventual lemon
1. Chapter 1: How the Mighty Have Fallen

**Disclaimer:** _None of the characters in this story are mine, only the plot driving them._

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_Is - is this what pain feels like?_

Face down on something hard and unforgiving Axel felt as if every centimeter of his body were screaming. His back, his legs, his arms - even his _eyelids_ ached from some mysterious affliction that the red head would have gladly lived without. For the longest time all he could think of was keeping himself from crying aloud and admitting his weakness before he even learned of his surroundings.

Eventually the world faded from bloody reds to dull pinks and then to flashes of blue and green behind his closed eyelids. Axel begun to sense other things - the dryness of his throat and mouth; the chill of the air, causing his skin to prickle; the sound of life around him.

"Hey."

Willing his eyes open Axel stared at what looked to be a hovering blur for a long, uncomprehending moment. Blinking several times helped to clear his vision and the blur begun to gain features; arms, legs and torso covered in what looked to be elaborate garb. Short, ridged cornflower hair seemingly kissed by the sun its self. Deep, worried blue eyes that would make the angels themselves weep to see. Axel would know.

"Hey, are you alright?" It was the human's voice, muffled somewhat by some kind of cloth tied about his face. It left only his eyes, forehead and a bit of his cheeks visible and Axel wished he could see more of the seemingly angelic face.

"…Mungh." _Latin, Greek, Italian, Russian, Chinese - English._ "You…English. You speak English."

Though proud of himself for finding the right language so quickly the boy (all humans were children in their eyes as well as His) looked even more worried, crouching down. "Yeah - listen, I don't know what happened that left you out here in the nude but you shouldn't lay here like this. Are you hurt? Can you move?"

Mulling over the question Axel let his eyes trail down to the arm he could see, extended from his body. _One, two, three, four, five…_ Flexing each digit he took account of each part of his body, ignoring the nips of pain for each he moved. "Every part is accounted for," he mumbled, mostly to himself.

The blonde boy looked rather confused but after hesitating for just a moment reached up with oddly-colored fingers, pulling at the front of his garb. "You need to get some clothes on or you'll freeze," he said, shrugging off the puffy outer layer of his robes. He leaned forward then, reaching out to-

"Don't touch me!"

The boy jerked, startled by the venom in the male's voice as well as the quick movement. The odd stranger was crouched, a hand planted on either side of his braced feet with an expression of a caged tiger just set loose.

Gaping for a few stunted moments the blond scowled. "Hey, I'm trying to help you here! Do you plan on just laying out on this construction site until they build over you?" He motioned to the open lot around them. Now that Axel was looking he could see buildings and cars, as well as a few people bundled up similar to how the blond was and staring at the pair. "Do you need help or not?"

Axel paused, panting from the strain of moving so soon after his journey. The thought of needing _anything_ from such vile, disgusting creatures - even ones with beauty to rival the angels - was enough to make his skin crawl. But…

But he was alone. He was mortal. He not only was stripped of his rights and abilities but was given a sex, which meant…

"I'm…" The words got caught in his throat and Axel's legs gave out, red head falling over heavily. The boy was by his side in an instant, a hand clutching his large robes and the other reaching, hovering near but just out of reach from the fallen male.

"Hey, I'm sorry - I should have asked first." The voice was quiet, tone subdued. "Can I help you up? I don't live too far from here." The blonde's gaze trailed down to Axel's bare feet dubiously though he seemed determined.

Every point in his form groaning in pain Axel closed his eyes, swallowing hard. "…Yes…" He flinched violently when wool-covered fingers first brushed against his arm but then they were gripping him and pulling, prone figure forcing his eyes open as the long-limbs worked, struggling to his feet.

_Puny human. The child is hardly to my chest._ Even still the blond was strong and braced Axel on his side as he used his free hand to throw the fabric over his shoulders. Axel found it cold to the touch but it soon warmed up and he was grateful for it, body beginning to shudder uncontrollably.

"Damn, you're freezing." Grunting the boy put an arm around the taller male's waist, guiding him. "Come on, this way. I'm Roxas, by the way."

Putting one foot in front of the other the red-head leaned heavily on the smaller figure, staring at the top of blond spikes. "Axel. That was the name…I was given."

"Well, Axel-" Roxas grunted again as they stumbled, bracing his feet to support the both of them. "Don't mind me trying to keep us from falling on our asses."

Holding on to the boy - to Roxas - Axel absently considered the humans standing on the sidewalk to stare at their progress, praying to the high heavens that it was all a bad dream.

~.~.~.~

"You did WHAT?!"

Jerking the phone away from his ear Roxas cringed, waiting a moment before bringing the receiver back to his ear. "What was I supposed to do, Nam? Just leave him there?"

"Well-" There was a moment's pause before a heavy sigh sounded on the other line. Roxas knew that his best friend had a passion for helping people - heck, until that moment it was usually _him_ calling _her _nuts for the lengths she'd go through - but even she seemed to have limits.

"I couldn't, exactly." Looking out into the living room Roxas eyed his unexpected guest. Axel was sitting right where the blond had put him, plopped down on the couch and staring at his bare knees. "I don't know what came over me. He was just lying there. In the _nude_."

Roxas could hear the other blonde shifting. "That's just insane. It's almost cold enough to snow outside." There was a moment's pause and the girl's tone grew lighter with a teasing edge. "Are you sure you just didn't want a naked piece of man-meat in your apartment?"

"Aw, Nam!"

Tinkling laughter sounded on the other line. "Well, I'll come over in a bit to help you out," she suggested. "Do you know his sizes? You don't have anything that would fit, right?"

"No, not at all," Roxas replied, frowning. He was thinking just that but didn't like the idea of leaving some nude stranger in his house alone. Giving a quick estimate Roxas huffed. "He's at least six feet and super-thin. But I should go. He's just kind of - sitting there in the buck and should probably have a bath, at least."

"Just make sure you cover him up in _something_ before I get there," Namine agreed. "See you."

"Later."

Hanging up the phone Roxas put it back on its base before moving into the living room. The tall figure still had his down jacket over his shoulders though Roxas had kicked off his sneakers and pulled off his scarf and gloves. "Do you think you could sit up in a tub?" The blond didn't trust the other enough to let him stand in the shower after the painfully slow, awkward shuffle to his home.

"…Tub…" There was a heavy silence in the air as Axel seemed to consider before nodding slowly. "The large basins that you bathe in, correct?"

"Uh…yeah." Roxas wasn't sure what was up with the odd speech but just took it as shock. As soon as he had Axel cleaned up and dressed he would question the stranger as best as he could to find out where he came from. If that turned up nothing, well, then he would just have to go to the police. The guy could be a missing person. "I'll go set the water then come back for you - wait here."

Roxas turned to do so before the other could respond though he doubted that a response was forthcoming. Flicking on the bathroom light to illuminate mint-green tiles and white ceramic the blond set up the tub to run, grabbing a deep green towel from off of his clean rack to set nearby before leaving to retrieve Axel. The man hadn't moved an inch, gaze seemingly fixed on his bare toes.

Roxas stopped in front of him, holding out a hand and keeping his own eyes fixed on Axel's bright red mane. "Alright, come on."

Drawing his gaze up from the ground Axel looked at the outstretched hand, then at the blond. After a long moment Roxas made a sound close to a growl of frustration before closing the distance between them and grabbing a hold of Axel's arm. Though the taller male flinched it wasn't nearly as bad as the first time Roxas has touched him.

"Come _on_. You're not just gonna sit dirty and naked on my couch!" Grunting in effort to heft the lanky male the two managed a slow shuffle down the hall and to the bathroom, Roxas setting the other at the edge of the tub just as the water was reaching critical mass and shutting the facet.

"Is this the normal height of mortal bathing water?" Though Axel was vaguely familiar on every day rituals that were performed he had paid little to no attention to it before being forced into his state. He was somewhat distracted by the coldness seeping into his rear from the white tub and mint-colored tiles his back was pressed against, skin prickling in goosebumps.

"You know for someone who is getting a free bath, clothes and a place out of the cold you've got a lot to say about the job I'm doing." Roxas growled, pushing down the leaver in the tub to let the water drain. At the blank look sent his way in return the blond shook his head. "Never mind. Here - this should be good enough. Get in."

Axel frowned, slowly lifting his right leg to bring around and set down into the water. It was quite warm and though it could have been a touch warmer was wonderful on the skin and soon he swung the other leg around as well, sliding quickly with a loud _splash!_ and lower _thump!_ as his body settled in.

Sighing quietly as water sloshed over the edge of the bath Roxas turned, digging through his towel rack for a ocean blue washcloth to toss over his shoulder and into the tub. "Use that to wash up. The soap is on the edge of the tub there-" the blond pointed, back still to the red head. "-and you should be able to reach the towel. I should have clothes for you when you get out so just wear the towel after you're done. Oh, and the shampoo's on the window ledge."

With everything ticked off Roxas moved for the door, nearly out of the room when a soft word caught his ears.

"Wait."

Pausing the shorter of the pair hesitated, allowing himself a slight turning of his head. He could make out Axel's lanky form just so, wild red and slender, lightly tanned skin. "Yeah?"

The silence that followed lasted several heartbeats and Roxas almost thought he had misheard until Axel shifted, head turning in his direction but not looking at the other male. "I am appreciative of your help and hospitality. You really did not have to come to my aid when you did. I… understand that now."

Roxas blinked at the words, turning fully to the figure in his bathtub in his surprise. Considering how the male had been acting Roxas knew that the words of thanks must have been hard to say. Even so…

"Whatever," he mumbled, taking the heat to his cheeks being from the steamy room. "It's not like I could have just left you there. Call me if you need anything, alright?"

At the slight nod Roxas paused for just a moment longer before slipping out of the bathroom, closing it to a crack behind him. Then the blond pressed his back against the door frame, tilting his face upward and sucking in a deep, long breath.

"What… have I gotten myself into."

~.~.~.~

True to her word, Namine made it to Roxas's apartment in just over a half an hour. When he answered the door the girl's face was flushed, blond hair wind-swept and a bag in each hand. "Hey, Nam - come in, he's still in the bathroom."

Giving one of the bags to Roxas as he reached for it Namine stepped inside, shivering as her friend locked up behind her. "Dear Bob, it's freezing out!" The words were somewhat muffled between her yellow and red striped scarf and white down jacket zipped nearly to her nose and she set the second bag down, undoing the coat as the warmth in the apartment took effect. "Did you know that the temperature dropped another five degrees from this morning? It's insane!"

"Seriously? That's nuts." Roxas was looking into the bag he was handed as he spoke, reaching in to pull out one of the items on top. "How much do I owe you for these?" As he looked up Roxas saw the slight girl hanging up her coat and scarf, boots coming off next. She was in something much more functional than her favored light colored airy dresses; a pair of thick black leggings and a gray, wool skirt along with a deep blue and turquoise stripped turtleneck. "You know, you'd be warmer if you put pants on."

The girl made a face. "Ugh, pants. These are bad enough." Pulling off black wool gloves Namine shook her head. "And don't worry about it. Marluxia is always getting rid of his clothes when new fashions come into season and thankfully there were things in his closet he missed tossing out from last winter. He was more than happy to part with them."

"Oh, I hadn't even thought of him," Roxas murmured. He'd forgotten all about Namine's eccentric cousin. "Works out for us, though."

"Yes…" Looking up at the tone Roxas lowered the bag. Namine had that _look_ that always followed the tone - the one that said she had to tell him something he probably wouldn't like but it was for his own good. "Roxas, have you thought about why the guy was outside like that?"

Roxas shrugged, moving to the couch to drop the bag before heading over to the kitchen to put some water on. "Sure I have. I figure he ran away from somewhere and got robbed. Or is a nut job that likes to go out in the freezing cold naked."

Namine sighed as she followed, placing her own bag on the ground by the couch before making her way to the island counter that separated the kitchen from the living room, folding her arms over the cream colored wood. "There's that," she said patiently and then hesitated, chewing at her lower lip a moment. "And then there's sexual assault."

Roxas froze, nearly dropping the water filled kettle. "Sexual assault… oh my God. That didn't even occur to me." Thinking back on how he had found Axel; dirty, nude, in obvious pain and having difficulty to walk…

Namine nodded before continuing. "I didn't think you had. Really, I didn't think of it until after I got over the fact you brought home some stranger off the street. Literally." She paused then, seeming to come to a realization. "Roxas, how long has he been in the tub?"

"SHIT!"

Dropping the kettle with a loud clatter Roxas bolted from the room, whipping around the corner to jet down the hall. The bathroom door was kicked open and the blond threw himself inside, expecting the worse. "AXEL-"

Roxas stopped, processing what he was seeing.

Axel was… just sitting in the tub. It didn't look as if he had moved at all in the time Roxas had left him alone as the bright strands were dry and upright. The only difference that he could see was that the lanky male was shivering, water having gone cold long before.

"Axel, what the - what are you doing?"

The red head had looked up upon Roxas's entrance but continued to sit and shiver, obviously cold. "Bathing. Is it wrong?"

Staring at Axel for a long moment Roxas took a deep breath. Then let it out all at once, seeming to deflate. "Here, let me help you," he sighed, looking over his shoulder as a sound by the door caught his attention. "It's alright, Nam. He seems to be having trouble getting this right."

"Um, oh, all right." The blonde girl took Roxas's word for it, avoiding looking inside. "I'll get his clothes together while you do that, then."

Roxas moved over to the tub as Namine closed the door mostly behind her, shorter male crouching by the nozzles. "I'll make this warm again - you can sit there still. Just tell me when it's good for you, kay?"

Rolling up the sleeve to his shirt Roxas reached in between extended feet ("Frick, this is cold! You should have called me!"), pulling the plug to let the water drain. He turned on the hot water after a while, mixing the two together with his already submerged limb. By the time it got almost too hot Axel murmured his approval and the blond quickly stopped the flow, glad to see that the red head wasn't shaking like a wind-blown leaf anymore.

Taking up the cloth that had long since sunk to the bottom of the tub Roxas made short work of lathering it up, nodding at Axel. "Arms up."

Though he seemed confused Axel complied and Roxas started to work, starting at the male's wrists. _Namine thinks it was sexual assault…_ Getting lost in his thoughts Roxas continued to work, making his way down Axel's arm to his shoulders. _He doesn't like to be touched, for the most part. But why does he talk like someone out of the 1900's?_

Roxas pondered that as he worked on Axel's neck and chest. Clearing the cloth of soap he gave it another scrub with the bar before setting it down, motioning to the other. "Bow forward and move your hair so I can get your back."

Axel met the blond's eyes then, green orbs sharp and judging and contemplative all at once. Without breaking eye contact the red head reached back, brushing his hair aside before bending over slightly to give Roxas the room he needed.

Forcing his gaze away Roxas ignored the hot flush that rose to his cheeks, shifting to get at a better angle and see the offered skin.

And he gasped.

"Holy shit…" Most of Axel's back had been covered by his hair when Roxas first found him and since then he had been either beside or in front of the other male. At the moment, though, Roxas could see the full expanse of torn skin, twin wounds running down behind either shoulder bade from just under his shoulders down to just above the dip in the other's spine. Both were bleeding sluggishly and Roxas just gaped in horror for the longest moment before he could find his voice again.

"Axel - what _happened_ to you?"

The red head shrugged his shoulders with made the wounds bleed more and Roxas hissed, cringing at the sight. "He took my wings."

Roxas pulled his gaze away from the horrid sight to look at Axel's face. The other male had his head turned towards the blond and Roxas swallowed, voice small. "Who?"

"_He_," Axel replied, voice as low as Roxas's but holding reverence. "He is the one who breathes life into all. He is the one who creates from nothing, who made the earth and the heavens and all you see before you. He is The Great One, The One And Only. And…" Axel seemed to fumble, eyes growing irresistibly heavy as his body started to sag. "And it is He who has cast me out…"

Yelping in surprise as Axel suddenly slumped Roxas quickly grabbed the male before he could sink under the water, shouting for Namine as loud as his voice would go.


	2. Chapter 2: Cheer Up Sleepy Dreamer

**Author's Note: **Thank you to those who have been showing interest in this! I almost never update to quickly but with encouragement from all sides, here's chapter two!

I would like to thank **Axiam** for pointing out a consistency issue from the first chapter (it's fixed!), **Aria6** for letting me influence her into writing her own angel story (_Fallen Angel_, check it out!) and giving me heck for taking so long to put up the first chapter when hers was finished (I didn't think it was _that_ long...) and of course,** the readers**, who both enjoy my work and aren't afraid to offer their thoughts and finds. Thank you! *^__^*

**Warnings:** Blood, wounds, up-chucking and general ew D: You have been warned!

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"You know," Namine panted as she moved in a slow-shuffle down the hallway. "When you asked me to come over, carrying a near-naked stranger oddly didn't occur to me."

After Roxas had screamed bloody murder for Namine the girl had helped him drain the water from the tub, after washing Axel's back and wounds. Using her nursing skills Namine determined Axel's injuries to be non life-threatening as they were mostly sealed in the thin makings of a scab, the lanky male's color, breathing and heart rate all within normal standards. They dried and bandaged the bare torso and, after Roxas struggled to fix a towel around Axel's waist without actually touching the unconscious male inappropriately, pulled Axel out of the empty tub.

Unlike when Roxas had helped Axel home earlier the body between the two slighter forms was dead weight and took more than twice the effort it would have had Axel been awake and aware. "God, for being so friggin' thin you would think he'd be lighter," Roxas grunted, nudging open the door to his guest room.

"It's muscle," Namine replied, shifting the long arm over her shoulder for a better grip. "Almost. There-"

Making it to the bed the two carefully lowered the red head, Namine reaching out to turn Axel's head so that he wasn't face-down on the soft sheets. "I would cover him in at least a down blanket," she said through pants of breath, patting her chest. "Whew!"

"Yeah, alright…" Moving to the room's closet Roxas dug around, drawing out a black fleece blanket and cream colored comforter to cover the red head with. The bandages still looked clean from the outside so Roxas had some hope for his cream and green sheets, should the other roll over. "Juice?"

"Please."

The two left the room, Roxas closing the door behind them before heading back into the kitchen. The kettle full of water had miraculously fallen with its base down and there was just a few splashes of spilt water around. Namine went for the fridge while Roxas set to cleaning up and the two worked in silence, questions hanging in the air with neither of the pair voicing them.

It wasn't until Roxas had emptied the kettle and cleaned up the water and Namine had set out a glass of peach Five Alive each that Roxas spoke up. "What do you think happened to him?"

Namine sipped at her glass, balancing on one of the high stools surrounding in kitchen's island with ease. "It's hard to say," she said carefully, one hand on her glass and the other resting against the countertop. "Did he say anything to you?"

Sitting across from her Roxas took a long, grateful swallow from his glass. "Mmhm. He claimed that someone took his wings."

The wide-eyed, slack-jawed look Namine gave him would have made Roxas laugh if he wasn't serious. "Wings? Seriously?" At the male's nod Namine looked down at her drink, chewing at her lower lip. "Huh. That would explain a lot."

"What?" Roxas had been expecting her to say something more along the lines of, 'This guy is a nutso and needs to be hospitalized,' not that. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" She was using that tone again and Roxas put his glass down, giving his full attention as she gathered her words. "Did you notice how the wounds were? There was a lot of extra skin and in the central part it sort of went in?"

"Honestly? I was trying _not_ to look at it," Roxas replied dryly. Even thinking back on it made him feel like breakfast would be coming up for a visit.

"Well that's how it is," the girl insisted, setting her glass aside to lean forward over the counter. "I though it was odd. When someone suffers an injury like that the skin is usually either ripped away or just enough to cover the part that had been cut open." She held up a hand, ticking off fingers with the other. "Not only was there a lot of extra _loose_ skin around them, but it wasn't enough to cover the wounds. Not neither enough. Also, there's an incline - not a lot, but enough to be noticed - within each, both the same length and depth, yet as far as I can tell, aside from the wounds his back is fine."

"Ugh, this is really gross, Nam," Roxas said, nose scrunching. Really, anyone who looked at the tiny, usually quiet girl wouldn't take her for someone who was into the blood and guts of the medical world. "So what are you saying?"

Namine seemed to resist the urge to roll her eyes before continuing, voice hushed. "What I'm saying is that by the way things look…" She paused, waiting to see if she had Roxas's full attention. "It seems as his something was _ripped _out of his back."

The blond jerked back, gawking at his friend. "Ripped _out_? How is that possible?"

"Who knows?" Namine shrugged, taking up her glass again. "But its far too ragged to have been cut away. A chainsaw would have made a cleaner-"

"UGH, NAM!" Slapping his hands over his ears Roxas shook his head. "Alright, alright, I get it! I don't need to hear anymore."

But what did it mean? Was Axel some escaped lab experiment? Maybe by 'wings' the lanky male had meant some kind of bony protrusion sticking out of his back that he had from birth. Was that even possible?

"Have you heard of anyone being born with wing-like things on their back?" Roxas asked, lowering his hands from his ears.

Namine considered. "I've seen man with tails and people with multiple limbs, but…" She shook her head. "I can't say that I have. I haven't ever seen or heard of anything like what I've seen with him…"

The two sat in silence for a few moments, finishing off their drinks before Namine perked. "We could always look it up, though."

Searches via the internet proved to be more frustration for Roxas than helpful. Most of the inquiries that they followed had to do with what _if_ humans have wings and why _not_ rather than anyone with anything similar. One search proved to be useful but in the end it didn't have the end result they were looking for.

"So it looks as if it _is _possible," Namine started slowly when Roxas finally gave up and closed the window. "But there's no known cases of it. At least, not online. I'll have to go look through some medical journals and ask around at work."

Smiling gratefully Roxas nodded at her, pushing away from the computer to stretch his arms above his head. "Thanks, Nam. This is going to drive me nuts until it's figured out." The blond girl nodded quietly, studying Roxas with worried blue eyes.

"Roxas? Why are you helping him so much? Really?" At the look he gave her Namine shook her head. :"It's just that, aside from our group and the people at your work you _have_ to deal with, you don't like people. I've never seen you interact outside of us at a party unless someone comes up first and even then it's like pulling teeth to get you to talk." Namine herself had grown up with Roxas so he didn't have a choice in shutting her out. Not that he would now.

The boy shifted uncomfortably before shrugging, left arm holding the right just below the elbow while the right arm rested on his head. "I dunno, really. It was just…" Trailing off Roxas turned his head before he realized he was doing it. Looking down the hall to where the other rooms lay. "You didn't see him out there on the street, just _laying_ there. And people were walking by as if he wasn't even there." The blond boy shrugged again. "I feel that - well, if _I_ ever ended up in a situation like that or similar, I would want someone to notice. To help me and actually care about what happens. You know?"

When Roxas pulled his gaze from the empty hallway and looked back at his friend Namine was smiling, a light upturning of her lips that made Roxas feel like she was thinking him to be really sweet when he didn't do anything special. Not in his opinion. "What?"

"Nothing." The blond shook her head, checking her watch before sighing. "But I should get going. Night shift today and I need to grab a change of clothes."

Roxas cringed at that, feeling guilty. "Crap, I'm sorry, Nam. I shouldn't have called so early-"

"What, and let you deal with something THIS big on your own?" Namine plopped a fist on her hip, arching a brow at the sitting male. "As if. If it weren't for me that guy would probably be drowning in the tub still."

"Ugh, don't even joke about that," Roxas groaned, getting up. Moments later he was exchanging hugs and promising to call her for updates and the watching as Namine walked down the carpeted hall in the apartment building, turning left to take the stairs.

Locking up behind her Roxas shoved a hand through his hair, considering the quiet apartment. Roxas decided that calling work would be best, praying that he could find a version of the truth good enough not to get him fired.

~.~.~.~.~

"_Why? Why does He give his love and devotion to those - those creatures? WE are the ones who are closest to His image! WE are the ones who follow His every wish, will and way. WE are the ones who see how He suffers as His 'people' cast aside their faith and morals to live in sin!"_

"_Axel, you go too far!"_

"_And I am far from done! How is it that they can live in such ignorant bliss and continue to have His love?!"_

"_Axel-"_

"_-peaking against Him, shall face banishment-"_

"_-didn't mean it! Axel had just gotten carried away, right?-"_

"_-nough! He has made it so-"_

"_FATHER!"_

~.~.~.~.~

Axel was on _fire._

At least, that was how he felt when his mind begun to clear from the fog of unconsciousness. His entire body was covered in some kind of sticky moisture and despite feeling warm underneath the cloth covering him the parts of him free to open air felt chilled to the bone.

Shifting in an attempt to get up Axel groaned and shut his eyes, every limb aching. He didn't notice the door to the room he was in opening but felt as the cloth over part of his head was moved down. "Hey. You awake?"

Forcing his eyes open and ignoring the throbbing behind his lips the red head looked up into concerned blue eyes, closing them just as quickly. "I feel worse than when I arrived," he croaked, throat dry and scratchy. "My throat…burns."

The heavy cloth was drawn back more and Axel groaned in protest before opening his eyes again. The blond - Roxas, that was it - was holding out a glass with something that made Axel's already dry mouth feel parched. _Water._ "Here, sit up and drink this."

It was a struggle to push himself up onto his side but Roxas helped, despite half-grumbled protests and soon Axel forgot about his distaste in favor or taking in as much of that heavenly cool liquid as he could, nearly choking halfway through. When the glass was drained Axel collapsed against the mattress, panting.

"You… look really bad." If it wasn't for the worried tone Axel would have taken the words as an insult. In truth he _felt_ like he'd been run down with a trolley but didn't expect Roxas to understand.

"I feel both hot and cold," Axel quietly admitted, stomach doing a curious twisting. He ignored it, shutting his eyes tightly. "I have not gotten used to this body. Do humans always feel so weak?"

Because his eyes were closed Axel couldn't see the look that Roxas was giving him. He did feel the bed dip as the boy sat down, though, and Axel felt his stomach twist again. What _was_ that? "You're sick. Anyone would get sick walking around with wounds like yours in the winter in the nude."

Eyes still closed Axel felt a chuckle forced out of him, body convulsing with the light sound. "Ah, human modesty. Though it started out as a form of protection from the elements. I understand wh-" Groaning Axel curled in on himself, knees drawing up to his stomach. "Heavenly Father, such agony!"

Small, cool fingers pressed hesitantly to the heated skin of Axel's forehead and the male was too grateful for the contrast to care that he was being touched. "Shit, you're burning up! Let me get you a-" The twisting that had been winding tighter and tighter in Axel's abdomen suddenly lurched and in the next instant he was heaving, the heavenly water coming up as burning black liquid that made the red head's eyes water and body spasm. "UGH, GROSS!"

Axel felt nothing but pain for a while. Pain that was hot and cold and aching and burning all at once. He was vaguely aware of Roxas there, not there, above him, beside him. His mind drifted, bits of conversation and awareness coming to him but never staying long enough to mean anything. Then there was something being pressed to his lips and a fuzzy, half-heard, 'Here, try to keep this down" and the thick liquid was coating his tongue and throat in something sickly sweet but smoothing all at once. Moments later he was gone, unaware of the blond watching over him like a mother hen does her chicks.

~.~.~.~.~

"How is he?"

Namine looked up from the prone form on the bed to Roxas, sighing quietly. "His fever is going down, finally. Luckily you were able to get it down from being really high when I wasn't here."

It had been several days since Roxas had stumbled across Axel in the street and the red head had been in and out of consciousness since his bath. Since then Axel had been given several ice baths to break the bouts of high fever and appeared to be improving.

"Well, I'm glad you got over your fear of naked men," Roxas said to distract himself from fretting, arms crossing over his chest. "Don't you have to sponge bathe greasers in class?"

Rising from the chair set beside the bed Namine made a face. "Usually, but my class was large enough that not everyone had a turn. Though I'm getting plenty of practice with this one." She nodded at Axel but didn't look at him, her gaze fixed on Roxas. He knew what was coming before she even opened her mouth and turned to leave, planning on steaming some milk for tea.

"How long do you plan on helping him, Roxas?" Namine followed him out, small fists on her hips. "He spends his time unconscious expelling bodily fluids on your spare bed-"

"Ew, Nam. I know that, I don't need to hear it."

"-and when he IS awake, he's saying things like 'Keep your filthy hands away' or 'He has forsaken me.'" She finished, going on as if there was no interruption. The comments were both confusing and annoying and though Namine tolerated it patiently - she has had her share of uncooperative clients who haven't been as weak and more volatile than Axel - but she knew that Roxas didn't have the same tolerance that she did.

Roxas bristled. "So, what? You want me to just toss him out when he's been sick with fever and probably no place to go?"

"I'm not saying that at all," Namine protested quickly, shaking her head. "I just don't think that _you've_ been thinking about afterwards. As in after he gets well enough to move around on his own again. What then?"

"…" Roxas looked away from his friend, frowning. He really hadn't given it thought - well, not _too_ much thought. Axel was as frustrating as he was handsome and though Roxas knew the sick male would deny it (funny, how much you learn about a person upon a few social interactions) they had a lot in common.

"I just want to help him," the blond male said quietly, rubbing at the back of his neck with one hand. "I'm figuring it out as I go along, okay? I have been looking to see if anyone misses him." Roxas couldn't stay home all day to watch the red head so when he was heading back from work he picked up a copy of The Vancouver Sun. No one matching Axel's description, or with that first name, had been listed. "I'll go down to the station when I'm less freaked out about leaving him alone for so long to check there."

Namine seemed to relax, nodding slightly. "Alright. You know that I only want what's best for you."

"Yeah, yeah," Roxas grumbled, going back to the task at hand. Pulling the milk out of the fridge he felt the weight, frowning. He would have to go shopping. "I feel like you're my mom sometimes. Are you sure you don't have a direct line from her feeding into your ear?"

Namine giggled. "Well if I did, I couldn't tell you now, could I?"

"Ha, I guess-" Roxas stopped suddenly, blinking. Something was… off. Whatever it was Namine had felt it, too, because she was blinking and looking at Roxas with a, 'What was that?' expression. A moment later they both realized what it was that stopped them both so suddenly - a sound. From the guest bedroom.

"It sounds like Axel's awake," she said with surprise, hands coming up curl into one another. It was a motion she did since childhood that came about whenever she was worried or anxious about something.

Setting the milk down Roxas glanced over at his childhood friend before moving out of the kitchen with quick, determined steps. "Could you finish the tea? I'll go see what's up." The blond male was nearly to the door before Namine could respond and, taking a deep breath and letting all out in a _whoosh_ through parted lips, Roxas pushed the door open to the guest bedroom and stepped inside.


	3. Chapter 3: Wake Me When It's Over

When Roxas pushed open the door to the guest bedroom he was met with the most peculiar sight.

Axel, with all of his long-limbs and wild hair was tangled in the bed sheets. He was also half off of the bed, the sounds that had alerted Roxas to the change being the red head's shoulder hitting the nightstand, then the floor. "Axel!"

Darting forward the blond crouched beside the confused-looking male, reaching out to help unwind the blankets from around his legs and arm. "You shouldn't be moving around. You've been sick for days."

Axel freed his captured arm as soon as he was able, placing both forearms against the ground to push himself up. When Roxas saw the blond grabbed the taller male's shoulder and Axel glared but otherwise didn't protest to the contact. Falling back against the damp fitted sheet Axel was aware of a stiffness underneath, as well as a slight sound of crunching. "Sick?" Was that was the disgusting, hot and cold and sticky feeling was, illness? "I do not see how you mortals can stand it."

Sighing heavily Roxas made quick work of untangling Axel's legs, pulling the blankets back overtop the other male. "Whatever. How do you feel? Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Though they had tried to get Axel to eat and drink whenever he was awake the red head hadn't been able to keep in much food and flat out refused to drink the sport drinks that Roxas had bought, sipping water instead. Namine was worried about it but Axel looked like he might be able to keep what he was given down.

"I would appreciate a drink of water," Axel said quietly, closing his eyes. Though he didn't feel the hot-cold sensation that had added to his misery and his stomach had settled down somewhat it was a tentative thing. "Thank you."

Brows going up in surprise Roxas allowed himself a slight smile before moving to the door. "Alright, then. Back in a jiff."

Left alone again Axel let his mind drift, forcing away what he could of the fog that seemed to cover everything. _Abandoned in the weakest of states and left on the mortal plane to be taken care of by humans._ He would have chuckled if his throat didn't feel like a desert. _How fully you lay punishment, Father._

The sound of bare feet against wood didn't quite register. Axel felt the shift in the air from movement, though, opening his eyes and frowning in confusion as two sets of blue eyes looked down at him. Blinking made the image shift and he saw that there was a female with Roxas who was vaguely familiar. "This is Namine. She's a nurse, and has been taking care of you."

"You've been doing most of the work, Roxas," Namine said shyly, standing beside the bed as Roxas sat at the edge. "I only help out when I can."

"Here, sit up," Roxas said, waiting for Axel to push himself up into a semi-sitting position before offering the glass of cool water. Though his hands were slightly unsteady Axel managed to drink the water down and handed the glass back, blond male turning to the nurse. "What do you think?"

"He is looking a lot better," Namine agreed, picking something up off of the stand beside the bed that looked to Axel what like a black strip of cloth. "But I would like to take your temperature. May I?" She was addressing Axel and the green eyed male blinked slowly before giving a slight nod.

The strip, it turned out, was not cloth at all but some kind of bendable plastic. Two small, cool fingers held the strip to his forehead and Axel closed his eyes, wondering what was supposed to be happening. Then they were gone, the girl sighing in relief.

"He's a degree above normal but that's a lot better than before. Stick out your tongue, please?"

Axel followed the instructions given to him by the quiet voice, not really following the comments made between Namine and Roxas as they talked about him. Soon enough Namine was done and she and Roxas left, which was just fine with Axel. He had already starting to drift off again… he seemed to be doing a lot of resting as of late…

"Axel."

Axel's eyes snapped open instantly as he froze, every cell in his body alert. He _knew_ that voice. "_You,_" the red head hissed, fingers curling into the blankets in anger. "You have no right to see me after what you have done!"

The brunet at the foot of his bed shrugged, the motion causing his large black wings to rise and fall as if breathing. "I wished to check on you," the dark angel said simply, gray eyes fixed on furious green. "You will really hold my place against me? You know that I had no choice."

"…" Anger slowly draining out of him Axel fell back against the pillows, cringing at the pain that danced up his spine. The presence of the other angel had made him achingly aware of what it was he currently lacked and the wounds throbbed. "I know that," Axel replied quietly, suddenly drained. "Forgive me for my greeting."

"There is none need be given." Seeing the change in the ill male's form the hard expression softened and though it would not have been noticeable to anyone who didn't know the angel, worry etched into the beautiful features. "I am the one who should seek your forgiveness. How has the mortal plane been treating you?"

Axel huffed a laugh, a pained, tight sound. "Leon, I cannot say I have ever heard you fret over anyone. It is horrible here." A thought suddenly occurred to Axel and he struggled to sit up, a hand resting at his knee. "You were sent here, were you not? Does that mean He has seen my suffering and-"

"No, Axel."

The two simple words made Axel's heart sink like lead and he stopped, lips parting and closing then parting again. "No?" The word was hardly a whisper but the other heard clear enough.

"No. I was sent for a mission nearby and felt a need to see how you were." Leon paused, voice quiet. "He has not looked upon you since your exile."

The pain from the usually stoic angel's words was immediate, red haired male aware and uncaring of the burning at his eyes. It was nothing compared to the breaking of his heart. "So He has truly cast me away."

Leon's wings came together at the arch, an unconscious motion from the angel. "I believe that there is still hope," the brunet offered, affected by a former brother's pain. "For now, it would be best for you to adapt. Mortals, though flawed in many ways, are His children, too."

"I need rest." Axel's tone was flat and he shifted, sliding down to lay on his side and bringing the blankets up over his head. A heavy silence hung in the air before a quiet, "Leon?"

"Yes, Axel?"

The form on the bed shifted, eyes closing though he knew the other angel could not see it. "Would you - could you please find Marluxia? Say that… I am alright."

"And are you alright?"

Silence. Axel shifted slightly, voice even quieter. "And I forgive you."

There was a sound like a swift intake of air followed by a distinctive feeling of warmth; Leon's pain, as well as gratitude was felt as if it were his own. A whispering in the air alerted Axel to the gathering of Power and were he able to think clearly he would not have missed the feeling upon the other male's arrival. Then Leon was gone, leaving the red head to feel more alone than he ever had in his existence.

~.~.~.~.

"So you think he'll be okay in a while?"

Namine nodded, pulling the milk off of the stove. It was on almost too long but would hopefully still be usable. "Yes, he's looking a lot better than he has all week. We'll try to get some food and electrolytes into him."

Nodding in agreement Roxas took up his usual seat on the left-most stool facing the kitchen, resting his elbows against the island countertop. "Good. I'm pretty sure if I had to do another load of laundry this week I would have lost it."

Pouring the milk into the glass teapot to steep Namine laughed lightly. "Roxas, that's nothing. Be glad that I love you enough to go through the embarrassment of getting that protective sheet."

"Ugh, thanks again for that," Roxas said, making a face as he grabbed his honey bear. "I wouldn't have known where to start looking. I owe you so much."

Namine shrugged. "It's alright. I just told the workers there that my 'little brother Roxie' was having bladder issues and-"

"You WHAT?!"

"What?" Looking up from the pot the blond blinked innocently. "It's not like you ever shop at Bed Bath and Beyond anyway."

"Well, I couldn't start _now_, could I?" Adding a generous amount of honey into his mug Roxas handed the little plastic bear over as Namine held her hand out for it. "Well you can forget about me taking you out to Okaman."

"Ooo! With the amazing crunchy rolls and the really cute waiter?" Namine gasped, a flush coming to her cheeks. It seemed that no matter when they went there it was always the same guy who waited on them and the girl was smitten. "I'm sorry! I'll go back and tell them you don't really wet the bed-"

Laughing at her flustered state Roxas smirked, reaching for the steeping pot to pour the mix in. "I'm kidding, Nam. Unlike some people, I'm not a total butt hole."

"Pish! As if! You've torn apart more people verbally than I've seen sick people's bare-ass!" Roxas has to stop pouring for fear of dropping the pot with his laughing. "Well, it's true! Remember the time I went shopping with you and that guy cut in front of us-"

"He had it coming," Roxas said, pushing the pot over and taking up his spoon to mix his drink.

"Or the other day when we were out and that guy asked out for the time-"

"He was like, two inches from my face! That's totally rude!"

"Or the old lady-"

"Hey, she was a bitch," Roxas cut in, waving a hand. "Alright, alright, I can be a bit of a shit sometime. You don't have to rub my nose in it." Namine smiled triumphantly at the blue-eyed male, pouring her milk tea with flourish. "So what do you think of his back?"

The pleased little smile on her lips turned down into a frown, blonde female setting down the teapot. "When I checked it yesterday it looked quite a bit better," she murmured, almost too low for Roxas to hear. "It's… surprising."

"Huh?" Brows furrowing as he frowned himself Roxas cocked his head to the right. "But wouldn't that be a _good_ thing? It's not infected or anything, right?" He couldn't see the problem at all with a fast recovery.

Namine shook her head. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just surprising. You do remember how bad it was when he first got here, right?"

"Yeah and no, I don't want to hear any gross descriptions," Roxas replied. He never knew what to expect from the seemingly innocent girl.

"Well, wounds like that would normally take weeks to heal and possibly some skin-grafting." Roxas winced, fingers curling around his cup. "But it's already closed up and scabbed. And yesterday when I prodded the edges of the scab - don't give me that look, it didn't hurt him any," Namine put in at the expression on Roxas's face. Rolling his eyes the blond male just lifted his mug. "A bit of the side came up."

"Oh EW Nam!" Setting the mug down the boy nearly gagged. "Why do you insist on doing this to me?"

"But wait!" A pale hand was on his face, waving in a 'hold on!' motion while her other was pressed down on the countertop beside her steaming mug. "Don't you want to know what I saw underneath?"

"NO!"

"New skin."

"That's the gro- what?" Stopping mid-rant Roxas blinked at the other girl. Though he knew nothing of medical things and healing he has been cut before and knew that four days was around average for his own to finish scabbing "You're kidding."

"Not at all," she said, glad to see that he was following. "I've never seen anything like it! At this rate the scabs will probably start falling off in the next few days."

"Wow…" Finally taking a swallow of his tea Roxas thought about it. Healing from an injury like that in just a matter of a week… "It'd sorta be like being Superman."

Namine blinked at the other before rolling her eyes. "Well, _Superman_ is getting his rear kicked by a cold right now. It's almost like - like he traded the ability to get over bugs quicker for physical healing." She scooted closer, which was quite the feat as her knees were up against the pillar of the island. "If the doctors could get some samples of his blood, maybe they'll find something in it that would help seriously injured patients! I mean, it would take some time but-"

"But you would have to ask his permission first," Roxas cut in firmly, scowling at the other. "He's a person, Nam, not just some cow's eye for your lot to dissect and examine under a microscope."

"What do you mean, 'my lot'?" Namine glared at her friend, hand on the countertop curled into a fist. "And I was! Or at least, I was going to present the idea to the hospital first. There's not need to get-"

"There you are again! You know that if you tell those guys up at the hospital about him there's no way they'd let him just turn it down!" Roxas wasn't sure _why_ he was getting so angry at Namine. She was his best friend and the only one who he had told about Axel, who he ran to whenever he got into a fight or fell to put band-aids on his bumps and bruises. He was just frustrated with the situation. "Forget it, Nam. Maybe you should just go."

"Maybe I should," she said, slapping her mug down on the table and uncaring as the liquid sloshed over the side. "And maybe you should check yourself in to get that stick up your ass taken out!"

"Just go!"

"I AM!"

Namine was out in two seconds flat, the sound of the door slamming behind her echoing hollowly through Roxas's apartment. Fingers curled tightly around his mug the small male took a deep breath, then another, then _another,_ letting them each out in a _whoosh_ through his teeth as he willed himself not to break anything. "Fuck, that was dumb," he grumbled after several minutes of silence.

Thinking of the subject of their argument Roxas hopped off of the island side stool to warm up something for the red head to try and eat Ten minutes later he had a tray with a bowl of instant ramen and glass of lukewarm water, nudging the bedroom door open and hitting the light switch with an elbow. "Axel?"

The red head was covered fully from head to toe and for a moment Roxas thought that he might have fallen back to sleep. Then the blankets shifted, a mass of red spikes slowly making an apperance as the blanket was pulled down enough for dull green eyes to meet cloudy blue. "Think you can eat?"

Axel seemed to consider the question for a long moment before the blankets were shoved down more, revealing a loose, long sleeved gray top. "I can try," came the gravely voice and Roxas walked over as the other male shifted, slowly easing up into a sitting position.

"Here, sit back a bit…" Dropping the legs of the tray down Roxas set it over the prone male's thighs. "There's no flavoring on the noodles but I can put the packet in if you feel up for it."

The lanky male grunted in response, staring down at the tray set before him. He sat for a time before glancing side-long at Roxas, raising a slightly trembling hand to grasp the fork. He gripped it like a spear rather than an eating utensil and Roxas blinked as the sick male stabbed at the noodles, heated water splashing a bit as he pulled out the empty fork. "Is this not how you use these?"

_Oh, for the love of-_ Taking a breath before blowing it out in a huff Roxas took the fork, holding it between his fingers. "You hold it like th- oh, hell. You'll just spill it on yourself anyway." It was obvious to the blond that Axel was having a mental relapse of some sort. Though he seemed to have basic motor skills and speech there were a lot of everyday things that he just didn't seem to know.

Axel watched as Roxas pulled his seat closer, twirling the pronged utensil with easy skill. "You are a kind human being," he said quietly, several flattened red strands brushing against his lips. Roxas snorted, more like a huffed half-laugh.

"Kind? Tell that to Nam." His anger had already gone from her, leaving just a lingering guilt and slight annoyance. She can't help being so interested in such an odd case like Axel. It was what prompted her to go to medical school in the first place - her love of helping the weak and solving problems in the medical field. Holding up the fork for the other to eat the blond chewed absently at his lower lip before speaking up. "Hey, Axel? Do you have any family?"

Actually getting the fork between his lips without stabbing himself Axel turned as he sat back, brows pulling together. "Family?"

"Ew, finish chewing first!" Reaching for more noodles Roxas nodded. "Yeah, family. Sisters? Brothers? Mother? Father?" Because Roxas was looking down at the bowl he missed the way the green eyes flashed with delight before darkening, blue eyes shifting to see the overcast look on Axel's face.

"He has shunned me." Axel's voice was low, a mixture of anger and regret in his tone. "I did not realize all that He meant until it was too late. He has punished me."

Swallowing hard at the low words Roxas slowly set the fork down, food forgotten for the moment. "Did he do - _that _to your back?" There were a lot of words that had jumped to Roxas's mind: mutilate, torture, shredding. _That_ seemed to cover everything he was thinking well enough.

"He had it ordered," Axel said quietly, unnoticing of Roxas's shocked expression. "They cannot refuse his order. Those who find the will to question His word are cast out. I-" His voice broke and Axel shifted abruptly, jolting the tray and its contents.

"Hey hey hey!" Grabbing the tray as it titled dangerously Roxas cringed as the soup sloshed, thankful for the boarders along the top of the tray. Most of it was caught due to it, though a few drops fell to the covers. "Axel! What the hell!"

"I wish not to speak of it," the red head said, turning his back on Roxas and drawing the blanket up until only the top of his head was visible. "I would like to rest now."

Hesitating for a moment Roxas stared down at the prone figure before nodding. "Oh, right. Call me if you need anything."

Back in the kitchen Roxas set about dumping the rest of the liquid, tossing the noodles and washing dishes, thinking over what he had been told. _His father did that to him…_ Setting the scrubbed pot in the sink of hot water he worked on the tray, using the second sink filled with hot, soapy water. _Maybe him acting the way he is, is from a form of regression. Is that what shrinks call it? _

Finishing the dishes the blond drained the soap-filled sink, watching the suds go down. _Either way, there's got to be a lot of mental scaring going on. Maybe I _should_ go to the police…_ The thought made Roxas frown. _Would the cops even care?_

After much mental debating Roxas decided that he would go down on his own sometime and ask if anyone was looking for Axel before deciding what to do. If the family the man had run away from wanted him back he would ask Axel about it and see if he would be willing to press charges. No one, no matter how rebellious, deserved to be punished in such a way.


	4. Chapter 4: Hopeless Causes

**Author's Note:** Oh snap! A second update in two days?! On a roooooll *cough* Never mind that this has been in the works for...ugh, I don't even want to know.

The long (long, long, LONG) awaited 4th chapter of **Almost** **Human**! Man, I can't believe I'd nearly forgotten about this. I'm really putting to the grindstone and am HOPING to get a chapter update for each of my unfinished things before the end of the month. It almost seems possible, too!

**Warnings:** This chapter has destruction of an inhuman sort and much swearing from Angry!Roxas. It's not pretty.

**Other:** For those of you who might still be around, thank you! You guys are the reason I write, besides for the love of the characters.

* * *

The following day Roxas set out to the local police station. He wasn't sure what he would say, really. Axel seemed to be an adult and unless the man was willing to press charges there was little the police could do. Still, he might have other family that could be looking for him and it was with that thought that Roxas pulled open the solid wooden door leading into the 25th precinct.

It was early morning but even so the place was buzzing with life. Officers in uniform stood around a table, pouring coffee while others hustled in a woman who looked to be just a skeleton with skin draped in scraps of cloth. Officers and people alike were bustling about and Roxas felt his heart beat pick up as he approached the receptionist desk, the woman typing away on her computer until Roxas was right before her.

Eyes such a bright brown the looked almost red flickered over to the blond and she turned, visible just from the chest-up. From what Roxas could tell she was young even with the grayish tone to her hair, white blouse pressed to perfection. "Welcome to the 25th precinct. What can I help you with today?" Though her words were friendly the tone was hard, like someone who didn't have time to deal with anything short of a homicide. So Roxas thought, at least.

"Uh - hi." Swallowing hard under her stare Roxas pushed on, placing a hand lightly on the high desk. "I came across a stranger the other day who was beat up pretty bad and was wonder if he'd been reported to missing persons."

The woman was back on the computer before he finished, clicking several times. "What is the name of this person?"

"Axel."

There was brief typing before she looked up, arching a brow. "Last name?"

Roxas shook his head. He had questioned Axel before leaving and the man hadn't given any. Roxas hadn't actually gotten much new information out of Axel that he didn't learn upon their first meeting. "He doesn't think he has one. He-" Roxas hesitated, gaze flickering down to the desk before looking back up. "He thinks he's an angel."

Twin brows shot up in surprise before the woman changed her expression into something more neutral, lips pursing. "I see." She turned back to the computer, typing some more. "He thinks he's an angel. Well, kiddo, let me put this into perspective."

Roxas bristled. "I'm not-"

"Anywhere between 100,000 and 800,000 people are reported missing a year in this country, give or take." She wasn't looking at Roxas, fingers flying over the keys. "About half of them are children. Seeing as you said you found a stranger and not a kid, I'm assuming this 'Axel' is part of the 4 to 500,000 adult cases. Now, assuming that he's from this side of the country, above the age of 18 and Axel is in _fact_ his real name, that leaves us with-"

Grasping the top of her flat screen the woman turned the screen around for Roxas to see. To his dismay the result showed one of thirty with over a hundred pages after the first. "Shit."

"Shit is right, kid." She turned the screen back around, turning her full attention to Roxas. "Look, I can see that you want to do good by this guy but the truth is, people lie. People run away, or get into trouble or simply go nuts and claim to be angels sent to smite sinners in the name of God before shooting up a school. It sounds like you friend needs to see a shrink to find out who he really is before you put in a search."

Roxas' shoulders drooped, catching his lower lip between his teeth. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he agreed grudgingly, dropping his hand from off of her desk. "Sorry to have wasted your time."

Turning the blond shoved his hands into his pockets, discouraged. He hadn't thought that finding out of anyone was even _looking_ for Axel would be that complicated.

"Hey, kid."

Roxas turned, frowning. The woman was addressing him, looking around a frazzled-haired lady who had rushed up to her desk. "The name's Paine. Come see me when you have more info, alright?"

"Uh - yeah, thanks." Watching her half-wave before turning to help the next person Roxas headed out of the precinct, a new goal in mind. Pulling out his cell phone he waited until pushing through the solid wooden door leading outside before pushing call twice to dial the last number called.

A ring and a half the other line clicked, a soft, "Hello?" greeting him.

"Hey, Nam."

"Hey, Roxas." Roxas felt bad at the tired tone to her voice. He had been hoping she wouldn't have gone to bed yet but maybe he was wrong. "I'm glad you called-"

"Namine-"

"I'm sorry."

They spoke at the same time, words ringing together in quiet harmony. Both fell silent for a beat and Roxas spoke up. "I still owe you some Okaman."

"You're damn straight you do!" Roxas couldn't help a slight grin at that. She was sounding more awake by the moment. "Had you wanted to meet up somewhere?"

_She's freakin' psychic,_ Roxas thought, heading for the bus stop. "Yeah, I'll treat you to breakfast. Or dinner or whatever. I can be at that café by your place in twenty minutes."

There was the sound of rustling while she answered. "That sounds good. Just call if I'm not there, I might just pass out in the bathroom."

"Hey! It's your fault for working those crazy hours!"

"Yeah, yeah. See you."

"Later."

Hanging up the phone Roxas stuck it in his pocket before digging out change for the approaching bus. He and Namine rarely fought as they had the day before but it usually only took a few hours to a day before they had made up again. Roxas knew that he was lucky to have someone willing to deal with his pig headedness, even though he still felt that she had been in the wrong.

It was closer to a half hour before Roxas walked through the door to the little café, looking around as he stepped in. When he spotted Namine waving at him from a corner booth the blond walked over, undoing his scarf and coat as he went. "Sorry about the wait."

The blond girl shrugged. "That's fine, I've only been here a minute or so. Long enough to get drinks." As she spoke a older woman with graying hair curled at her shoulder approached, setting the glasses down. "Thank you, Nadine."

"No problem, sweetie. The usual for you pair?" Roxas tried not to roll his eyes and nodded, Namine doing the same. "Alright! I'll come with that soon as I can."

As she walked off Roxas sighed, dropping his coat, scarf and gloves on the empty spot beside him. "Why does everyone swear that we're going out? Though at least she didn't call 'the adorable blondies' today."

Giggling behind a pale hand Namine beamed. "Oh, hush! She's just looking out for us." They had been going to the café for years and while Namine has had a few romances come and go, the cozy little place was for her and Roxas alone. Her happy mood dipped as she lowered her hand, it disappearing under the table with its mate. Roxas could see her gripping and bunching the hem of her skirt in his mind's eye - he knew Nam better than himself at times. "I'm really sorry, Roxas. I wasn't thinking about how being kept in a hospital to be poked and prodded would be for Axel, I just-"

"You just want to do good for people," Roxas finished, taking up his glass though he didn't drink from it. "I know. I knew it at the time but…" Sighing quietly he took a quick sip, tea-lemonade both sweet and tart on his tongue. "I feel like- I don't know. Like I'm the only one he has to look out for him."

Watching Roxas as he took another swallow of his drink Namine decided to keep her thoughts to herself. Roxas seemed to be especially sensitive when it came to the subject of his ward and she didn't' want to rock the boat so soon after it's been stabilized. "Did you go down today?"

Roxas sighed, tapping the side of his near-empty glass. "Yeah, though it was kind of pointless. I've been questioning Axel for days and so far the only useful information I've gotten is his name and what happened to him… sort of." Roxas couldn't believe that the red head had _wings_ ripped out of his back; that was just too absurd. At least, until he had some solid proof. "Any other ideas?"

"Aside from checking the net for missing persons and prying for more info, not really," the blond girl murmured, looking up as Nadine came with their usual order and a pitcher of the homemade brew. "Thank you!"

"Not a problem at all, dear." Refilling Roxas's drink and placing down the orders the pair were soon left alone again, this time with food as a distraction.

The subject of conversation drifted from one topic to another, pair talking between bites. By the time they were finished Namine was telling Roxas of a particularly obnoxious patient she has been tending to for the last week.

"She threw a _remote_ at you?" Roxas just stared at the girl with an incredulous look, pulling on his scarf and coat. "Are people _allowed_ to do shit like that?"

Shrugging on her own wool lined jacket Namine shook her head. "No, but there isn't much that can be done about it aside from strapping them down or talking to them. When people are sick sometimes they just can't control themselves."

Roxas snorted at that, pulling out his wallet to put down money for the meal and tip. "Yeah, well, better you than me. If Axel were that unruly he would have been out on his ass a long time ago." Aside from the odd speech and apparent twisted memory the only issue the red head seemed to have was with being touched. Axel seemed to be pretty much used to being handled by Roxas and only sat and scowled when Namine had to check up on him. "Speaking of, I should head back. He's been on his own since ten."

"I should go, too," Namine agreed, heading to the front once all bundled up. "I have to run some errands before getting ready for work. Call my cell if something comes up."

"Yeah, I will." Pushing open the framed glass doors to the café Roxas was braced for the chilled wind that whipped by. Even so he couldn't help a shudder, wishing again that he either lived closer or that they found a 'usual spot' that wasn't a half hour out of his way. "Bye Nam!"

Waiting for a bus by the stop was like a slow torture to Roxas, the blond bouncing in place to try and keep himself warm. By the time the bus showed up his fingers and toes had gone numb. Climbing on board Roxas fumbled with his pass to show the driver before moving to the back to sink down into a seat as blessed warmth washed over him.

_So the question is; what am I going to do if nothing turns up?_ That same question had been lingering in the corners of Roxas's mind for days and it pulled a frown to the blond's lips. Reaching up to loosen his scarf absently Roxas's gaze drifted to the window, watching the people and shops go by.

_Would he be homeless? IS he homeless?_ Axel had said that it was his father - not directly but still - who had done the damage to his back and left him out in the street in the nude. That the red head hadn't had Roxas call or contact any other family could mean that he didn't _have_ any other family.

"Poor guy," Roxas murmured without really thinking, sights just on the other side of the window going unseen. While the blond felt his own family was frustrating, annoying and otherwise a pain to deal with most times, he couldn't imagine just being shut out from them as Axel had been. As much as he complained about them Roxas loved his family and wouldn't trade their love for anything n the world.

_I'll fix this,_ Roxas quietly promised, straightening as a frazzled-looking woman boarded the semi-filled bus and sat beside him. _It's the least I can do for him._

_~.~.~.~.~_

Sometime after Roxas left for the police station Axel was pulled out of sleep by a high, droning whine from somewhere outside. Raising a hand to go through the peculiar process of wiping sleep from his eyes (really, mortal leaked and oozed and crusted in places that Axel would of rather left well enough alone) the red head sat up, the motion not causing nearly as much pain as it had before. It seemed that sleep had done much for his fever as well as letting his back heal and Axel was thankful to have the burning/cold sensation and pain done with.

"Hello?"

The apartment was unusually quiet and Axel guessed that Roxas was either sleeping or at the place where he worked, something the blond had mentioned a few times. A heavy feeling in his gut informed the resting male that a trip to the bathroom was long overdue and, after kicking back the covers and slowly getting to his feet, Axel shuffled to the room he had been lead to on more than several occasions.

Once done Axel made his way down the hall to the front of the apartment, an area he had seen only once since arriving. The loose cotton pants were all he had to protect against the chill and Axel couldn't help but stare in fascination as goosebumps broke out along his outstretched arm, sending shivers along his skin.

_Keep the mission in mind._ Giving himself a mental shake the red head carefully pushed away from the wall as the hallway came to an end, looking around.

The living room, unlike the bedroom, was not carpeted and though Axel's bare feet longed for the quick warmth that the fuzzy flooring provided but was much too stubborn to turn back for the comfort of warm blankets and a soft bed. There was too much to try and puzzle out. The chairs, couch and tables were easily defined, as well as the shelving unit with books. The odd box with rounded glass in front, though, was somewhat of a mystery to Axel.

"I should have taken Human Studies more seriously," he muttered to himself, making his way over to the box. It was set in a shelf of its own, this one deeper than that of the books with odd, thin boxes stacked behind glass on either side of it. Finding the handle to the glass door proved fruitful but upon taking one of the small boxes - more like flat books - to open, there was only a thin circular object inside.

"Hm." Studying the disk for a few moments Axel noticed the button set in the middle, pushing down with a finger and grinning in triumph as the object popped out. The open box was set down in order to better study the odd treasure, thin brows furrowing.

"The mortals seem to find value in the oddest of things," he murmured to himself, turning the disk over in both hands and absently pulling it together as he tried to puzzle it out. "Though the box could be for protection, as this seems-"

With a _snap!_ the circular disk snapped in half, leaving the red head with a piece in each hand.

"…There appears to be many," Axel said after a moment of stunned silence, warily looking between the broken DVD and TV unit before setting the pieces on top of the wooden set. "Surely there are multiples."

Figuring that was enough exploring of the strange round disks Axel moved on, poking and eyeing and picking up all items of interest he came across. It wasn't until the lanky male's stomach begun to growl that he paused in his learning, deciding that hunting down something to eat would be better for the moment.

It wasn't hard to figure out where the food was kept; though the shapes and outlines had changed from his last trek to the mortal world the basic concept was the same and soon enough Axel had the fridge open, peering into the cool box in search of something eatable.

There were so many _containers_- some with crumbly things, one with what looked to be thin worms with small bits of vegetables (_Noodles_), a dozen liquids, each a different color inside. Axel picked up a few cool tin cans that he could not see the inside of and shook them, trying to figure out what they held. In the end they were put back where they had sat and he moved on, pulling out a drawer at the bottom most shelf. "Ah, this I can use."

Moments later Axel was settled on the couch with varying fruits and vegetables set on the table before him. A rather small selection, he noted with a frown. Still, it was bound to be better than any of the other junk that Roxas had tried to feed him so he took up the crown of broccoli, separating each bunch of the flowers to crunch on before eating the stem. After a carrot, two small mandarins and a handful of strawberries he went back to searching, opening cupboards and drawers and pushing buttons and pressing leavers as he tried to work out the strange world he had been brought into.

~.~.~.~.~

Roxas came home to an explosion.

That was the first word that popped to mind when he opened the door, looking down the short hallway into his living room. Locking it behind him the blond undid his boots quickly before stepping down the hall to take in the chaos more fully.

DVD and game cases lay strewn on the ground, most of them open though, from what he could tell, the disks were still inside. The table had half a tray of strawberries, some empty veggie bags and a few more DVD cases on them. The TV was on, the audience of the talk show cheering as a man was told 'You ARE the father!' and what looked to be a tissues from a dozen boxes were scattered all over.

Walking slowly in to see into the kitchen area was deemed worse; all the cupboards and drawers were open, one of the latter on the ground with silverware scattered around it, apparently laying where they had fallen. The microwave had over a 3-hour setting on it with nothing inside and from the color of the coils ALL the burners were on, the knobs at varying settings.

As Roxas stared, somewhat in shock, a mass of red hair popped up from behind the kitchen's island. "_Axel!"_

The man spun, obviously started, both hands raising in his surprise. He was wearing the puppet oven mitts that Namine had gotten him, the blond noted dully. "Roxas. Your heating unit was unlit. Come, you must be chilled."

Baffled the blond swayed between dismayed and angry. Anger won out and he ripped off his gloves, throwing them on the ground as he marched to the kitchen. "What do you think you're _doing_? Are you _trying_ to burn the whole fucking building down!?" Canceling the microwave with one hand while pulling at his scarf with the other he turned the dial on the toaster, which had been compressed, to pop up. "What the hell were you-"

Two warped, melting DVDs popped out of the toaster - or rather were forced up, as they had partially melted to the metal prongs - pulling a strained sound from the blond. "FUCK! Are you FUCKING SERIOUS?"

Axel, standing on the other side of the oven - the door of which was opened - took a weary step back. "Is that not what they are used for? The fit rather well, though the storage is odd-"

"GET OUT!"

Flinching at the volume Axel took another step back, removing the mitts from his hands. "I am sorry. I had planned to fix everything-"

The oven door was slammed shut, blond turning the knobs of the stove all off even as he continued to glare at the red head. "Are you deaf now, too? Get. _Out_. I don't want to see you, I don't want to talk to you and I DAMN fucking well DON'T want you IN MY HOUSE!"

Back bumping against an open drawer the weight caused it to tip, falling with a clatter to the ground. Twine, plastic wrap, coasters and varying items jostled or were bounced out of it, scattering on the ground.

It seemed to be the last straw as the blond lunged forward, grabbing a shell-shocked red head by the arm and dragging him across the room, through the living room and down the short hall. "OUT!"

Roxas undid the locks, flung the door open and shoved Axel out unceremoniously. The red head stumbled, catching his balance in the middle of the hallway and turned, a hand outstretched. "Roxas-"

"Go home!" Axel flinched at the venom in those words, hand lowering. "Find out way back to wherever you came from! Just stay out of my life!"

With a resounding _boom!_ the door slammed shut.

Axel stood there for some long moments, in just the borrowed pants and long-sleeved shirt, shaken. "I had not…" His voice was weak to his own ears, wavering and uncertain.

_What did I expect? Trusting and depending on a mortal. They are known for their great cruelty as well as their rare kindness._

Wrapping his arms around himself Axel headed for the stairs. It was better to part on hard terms and bitter words than for him to grow attached to the child. That was what he told himself as his bare feet took to the stairs, at any rate.


End file.
